The present invention relates to antibacterial agents of the carbapenem class in which the five membered ting of the carbapenem nucleus is substituted with a triazolylphenyl or tetrazolylphenyl moiety at position 2.
Thienamycin was an early carbapenem antibacterial agent having a broad spectrum; it has the following formula: ##STR2## Later, N-formimidoyl thienamycin was discovered; it has the formula: ##STR3##
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,011,832 and 5,025,006 relate to carbapenems of the structure shown below which exhibit antimicrobial activity against strains of methicillin resistant staphylococci (MRSA). The carbapenems described therein possess a meta-disposed biphenyl moiety attached to the C-2 position of the carbapenem ring. ##STR4##
U.S. application Ser. No. 07/777,948 and U.S. application Ser. No. 07/957,974 relate to compounds wherein the substituent on the phenyl ring is an imidazolium or pyridinium group, each of which may be substituted. The heteroarylium group is typically attached to the phenyl ring through a heteroaryl ring nitrogen.